Sentenced to 20 years for attempted murder
He stabbed his ex-girlfriend 18 times and then handed himself over to police a week later
The Ezakheni Regional Court has sentenced a 31-year-old man to 20 years’ direct imprisonment for the attempted murder of his ex-partner.
The attack happened in April last year (2023) in the Driefontein area. The accused was sentenced for attempted murder, read with Section 1 of the Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998, as amended.
He and the 28-year-old complainant were in a domestic relationship, but the complainant left him prior to the incident. On April 17, 2023, the complainant and her friend were on their way home in a taxi in which the accused was also a passenger. When the ex-girlfriend got off the taxi at her stop, the accused got off too, even though this was not his stop. He asked if he could speak to her, and the friend left them alone to fetch a jersey for the complainant from her homestead.
The accused then pulled out a knife from his backpack to attack his ex. She tried to run away, but fell and he stabbed her 18 times in the back, arm, shoulders and neck.
Her screams alerted the friend, who witnessed the stabbing. The accused then fled and the complainant was taken to a nearby hospital. The accused handed himself over to police a week later.
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In securing the state’s case, Prosecutor Cwayita Ngcongo led the evidence of the complainant, the medical doctor who treated her, and an eyewitness. The doctor’s evidence confirmed that the complainant sustained life-threatening injuries. In her evidence, the complainant gave the court an account of the impact of her injuries and said she now lives in fear.
Since the accused was sentenced in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, the minimum sentence prescribed is life imprisonment. However, the court mentioned that the combination of his personal circumstances and the fact that he is a first offender did not justify imposing life. The court did stress though that no other sentence but a lengthy term of imprisonment was appropriate under the circumstances, thus sentencing him to 20 years behind bars. In addition to the sentence, he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the successful finalisation of this matter, and commended the work done by the prosecution and police. “We are committed to curbing the scourge of gender-based violence,” said the NPA.
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